Ever wonder if you get the best value for the milk and other
dairy products in your
refrigerator?
With retail milk prices expected to rise 15 to 20 cents per
gallon by early summer,
it’s something to think about.
No matter what the price, though, consumers can make sure
they’re getting the most value
for their dairy dollars.
“It’s mostly a matter of comparing prices and nutrition
labels,” said Connie Crawley, a
food, nutrition and health specialist with the University of
Georgia Extension Service.
“In general, the lower the fat content of the dairy
product, the more of a nutritional value it provides,” she said.
Milk, sour cream,
cheese or even yogurt all follow this rule.
Crawley said store brands may often prove the best
nutritional bargain for dairy
products, especially for fluid milk.
National name brands and store or generic brands of milk
contain virtually the same
nutrients. Often the same dairy cooperative provides milk to
both the national bottler and
the grocery chain.
The nutrient content of individual milk jugs may vary. But
Crawley said that’s due to how much light the
milk has been exposed to. Opaque containers, usually colored
plastic jugs or waxed paper
cartons, protect the milk from light.
“Light destroys the riboflavin, a B vitamin, in milk
and dairy products,” she said. “But most milk stays in the
grocery store a short enough time that
plenty remains in the milk.”
Crawley said consumers should pay attention to the “sell by”
date on the jug, too. Some
stores discount milk at or near that date, and you can save some
money by buying when it’s on sale.
It’s safe to
buy near that date, as long as you plan to use it within three
to five days.
Buying larger quantities can save money, too. The cost per
ounce for a gallon of milk
is much less than the cost per ounce for a half-gallon or quart.
Again, Crawley said,
comparing prices is the best way to find bargains.
Regardless of the dairy products you use, prices have to
increase to keep Georgia
dairies in business, said Extension economist Bill Thomas.
Most Georgia dairies contract to sell all of their milk to
cooperatives, which contract
with wholesalers or retail outlets.
The milk-demand cycle matches the school year. “As school
lets out and then
starts again in late August," Thomas said, "milk
demand drops and then
increases.”
This year, though, about 10 million Olympic visitors will
increase Georgia’s population in July and
August. That’s
millions more people wanting milk and dairy products.
“That’s increasing demand very suddenly, and cooperatives may
not have the
local resources to meet the demand,” Thomas said.
If local farmers can’t meet their contracts, they have to pay
to bring milk into the
Southeast to meet the demand. The shipping costs drive prices
higher. Or they drive
dairies out of business, and the resulting lower supply drives
prices higher.
“Without our local farmers, prices will go up even more
when milk must be shipped into Georgia to meet demand,” Thomas
said.
“It’s not that dairies are making big profits," he said.
"They’re not even making enough to
stay in business.”
